23XI drivers are in a tough battle to win the stakes in NASCAR’s 2024 season. Tyler Reddick narrowly scraped a victory at Las Vegas, where he was outsmarted by Kyle Larson due to pit road issues. The same pit problems did not excuse his teammate Bubba Wallace either. Wallace was running well initially until an adamant lug nut dragged him back 10 laps in the race.

That aside, Bubba Wallace did mount an impressive performance in the first two races as both the Daytona 500 and the Ambetter Health 400 races witnessed him finish in the Top-5. However, pit crew issues caught up with him in Las Vegas. But other than his pit crew, Wallace holds other people responsible for his poor fate too, which he recently revealed in a pre-race interview ahead of the Phoenix Raceway showdown.

Is Bubba Wallace that superstitious?

NASCAR drivers have a hectic work schedule with back-to-back competitive races. There is also another factor that does not let them rest: the glaring hawk eyes of media people closely monitoring every aspect of their lives. Bubba Wallace claimed recently that this intrusion can go to the extent of influencing their race results.

Speaking to the press on Saturday, Wallace at first dwelt upon the lug nut topic. “I think the biggest thing for our guys…is to recognize the situation and learn from that. Study it as much as they can, and obviously put that behind them. But when that situation arises again, take a step back, take a deep breath, and realize, let’s give up a spot or two than ten laps.”

Then somebody broached the topic about Wallace’s top-5 finishes in the previous races. Wallace then playfully blamed the press for his sudden bad finish in Las Vegas. “Oh, I relate it all to jinxing. You know we talked about Wallace who finished top 5, blah blah blah, and so I blame that all on you guys.”

Then in response to whether he is superstitious now, Wallace explained his stance: “You know, I feel like there’s been a lot of hype around Denny for winning his 4th 500…You know, put a lot of hype around certain things and whatever it may be, bad luck strikes, so.”

However, jokes aside, Wallace’s contention with the press is not a new thing. In fact, the driver also had to face some criticism in the past from an industry veteran when he refused to give an interview to the press.

Corey LaJoie Claims Latest Bubba Wallace Fiasco Was Ironically Due to a “Too Perfect” Execution

Wallace defended putting his mental peace on top

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Mental health issues have gained importance over the last century or so. When NASCAR was in its nascent stages, it expected drivers to face the full brunt of the story: from hectic races to stressful press conferences. But times are changing now, as Bubba Wallace refused a pre-race interview in March 2023, citing that his mental health is a top priority.

Owing to this, he also faced backlash from veteran racer, Kyle Petty, who said, “For professional athletes to refuse interviews is unacceptable in any game.” “If mentally he is that fragile, then maybe this is not the game for him. You know, honestly,” Petty further added. 

However, Wallace had an effective counter-response. “We had the opportunity to do media during the week to free up the obligations at the race track and to focus on what we needed to do, which was get the 23 car in the Playoffs. That’s the most important thing.” He further added: “As much as talking to media is really important, I’m sorry y’all don’t pay my bills.”

What do you think about Bubba Wallace’s opinion on media interactions? Let us know in the comments below!